TOKYO (TR) – On November 12, Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested an inspector for allegedly leaking investigative information to Natural, the largest and most powerful scouting group for the commercial sex industry.
Police had been investigating Natural as an anonymous, mobile crime group (tokuryu). Over the course of the investigation, it became clear that a central police figure had been subsumed by the group itself.
The was Daisuke Jimbo, a 43-year-old inspector in the Organized Crime Division who stands accused of violating the Local Public Servants Act.
“The suspect allegedly sent images from investigative cameras installed for surveillance at locations associated with Natural to members of the group,” a Tokyo Metropolitan Police official tells the tabloid. “It is highly likely that he also leaked investigative information and received rewards in return.”
However, as reports weekly tabloid Friday (Dec. 12), such informants for Natural are not limited to members of law enforcement in the capital.
5 billion yen in revenue
Natural has nearly 2,000 members nationwide, mostly aged in their 20s. The group refers women to adult entertainment (fuzoku) establishments and receives illegal referral fees known as “scout kickbacks” from the establishments. Annual revenues are estimated at 5 billion yen.
It also practices strict internal controls through violence, which Friday has reported on twice in the past. Rumors of an insider’s presence had actually been circulating for nearly a year.
In late January, an investigative team led by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s Organized Crime Division attempted to arrest all of Natural’s executives. However, despite an early morning raid on an apartment believed to be their hideout, they had already fled.
“We kept a close eye on our targets, including top executives, and even conducted surveillance at high-end restaurants in Tokyo’s downtown areas,” an investigator recalls. “However, just as we were about to begin our investigation, the executives all disappeared at once. The only thing we could think of was that we our information was completely wrong.”
Jimbo, who was arrested, was a key member of this investigative team.
“My impression is that he’s always been a womanizer,” the same investigator says. “He’s divorced and now has a young child with his new wife, but there were rumors of him having an affair with another woman. Sudden changes in financial situation, such as his buying of a luxury car, raised questions.”
“Lose their sense of money”
Natural recruits investigators through gangs.
“Jimbo has long been in charge of investigating organized crime, and as a so-called organized crime detective, one of his jobs was to obtain information from within the gang,” a source familiar with organized crime tells Friday. “The organization behind Natural is affiliated with a certain regional organized crime group, and I heard that he made contact with a senior member of Natural through an introduction from a member of that group he was on friendly terms with.”
Some of the adult entertainment establishments that Natural sends women to are apparently on friendly terms with police officers. In some cases, they introduce women to them.
“We have a specialized department that handles countermeasures against professionals [police],” a Natural members tells the magazine, “and we have ample funds for operations. We surround informants with large sums of money. Once they lose their sense of money, they can’t survive without our money. It’s the same as a woman who falls into the sex industry. Investigative information is generally shared only with senior executives, and only necessary information is passed on to members.”
Special app
When investigators searched Jimbo’s home, they found 9 million yen in cash in a drawer. It is believed that money was regularly exchanged in exchange for investigative information.
Another Natural member boasts, “The amount sometimes reached several million yen per month.”
Jimbo’s smartphone contained a special app used only by members of Natural. It is a highly confidential that was developed independently. Based on an overseas app, it cost tens of millions of yen to produce.
“It has a full range of features, including chat, file sharing and calling, and I use this app for all communication with my family,” says the aforementioned Natural member. “The only way to get it is to download it using a special method, with someone from headquarters present. It’s generally not available to outsiders. In an emergency, the app can be remotely deleted from the smartphone to avoid leaving any evidence behind.”
“Most malicious tokuryu group”
Jimbo was removed from Natural investigations this spring. Since the summer he’s been undergoing voluntary questioning, effectively placing him on suspension. However, investigation information continues to be shared within Natural.
Another current member says Natural learned in September that police informant was about to be exposed.
“However, investigation information continues to be leaked,” the member says. “I can’t go into details, but there’s a high-ranking police officer in a certain prefecture in the Kanto region who has had a long-standing relationship with us, and there are multiple routes to police in major cities across the country. There are still many more informers.”
Tokyo Metropolitan Police have identified a senior member of Natural who was exchanging information with Jimbo.
One senior police official states, “At this point, we have no choice but to take thorough measures, even if it means shedding blood. Eliminating Natural, which is the largest and most malicious tokuryu group, is our top priority.”
